Before It's Set in Stone
by Oh-no-she-di'ent
Summary: This is for the CWS ficathon, S1 episode 'Love & War & Snow'..Max and LG's relationship began in this episode. This LL fan did not like that. I was given the strings & I attempted to make these puppets do a better dance! LL, Rated M, complete.


**Disclaimer**: Still denying affiliation over here!

This is for the CWS ficathon...getting LL together one episode at a time. Based on episode: Love & War & Snow. **Rated M** and complete.Enjoy.

**Before It's Set in Stone**

The diner had its regular customers, and if Luke cared to do so, he could set his watch to the arrival of most of them. Every day, it was the same thing. Coffee, food, conversation, newspaper reading, Taylor pitches, and Kirk's Kirkness all helped the hours to fall away.

On the night of the re-enactment, the bell rang and in walked Gypsy. She would stop in occasionally. Definitely not enough to become part of the routine. If the walls could talk, they wouldn't have much to say about her. Luke was behind the register counting change for a customer. He didn't look up. Gypsy walked to the counter and stopped in front of one of the stools. The smell of french fries and burgers were replaced by the stench of motor oil. Luke closed the drawer and passed the ten dollars in change to the waiting customer.

"Hey Gypsy," he greeted. His eyes hadn't passed her, but his nose let him know who was standing there.

"Hey Luke," she replied with a smile. Luke stopped and looked at her. Along with her unique accent came a tone that he found all too familiar. And ineffective.

"No."

Luke moved down the counter, and Gypsy moved to meet him.

"But I haven't even asked you yet," she said desperately.

"You don't need to ask me because it's always the same question. The answer is _no_. I'm tired. Two more hours, I'm headed upstairs for the night. That's it."

"What's the rush? All you're going to do is drink a beer then hit the sack," she stated mockingly.

He wasn't the least bit ashamed of that. "So you can see I have plans, then."

She sighed. "Come on, Luke. Be a team player."

Luke got a rag and started wiping down the countertop. "I don't play well on teams. I won two spelling bees in elementary, and still when it comes to the word: team, I can never _not _throw an _'I' _in there somewhere."

Gypsy stuck her hand in her pocket and pulled a key out. She set it down. "I promise I will be back by noon tomorrow. Here is the key to--"

"What part of _no _are you not getting?" He pushed the metal toward her with his index finger. "Take your key and give it to someone else."

She picked it up and clenched it in her palm. "But you are the only one who knows the difference between a brake disc and a compact disk." She looked to him pleadingly. "You are the next best thing, and I need your mediocre, amateur skill until noon tomorrow."

Luke shook his head. "You know, the sad thing is that that _really is _a compliment coming from you."

She nodded with wide eyes. "Yeah, so will you help me out this once?"

"Three times."

"What?"

"This'll make the third time that I have _helped you out this once_. No more."

"Oh brother." She folded her arms and waited for his rant. She knew it was coming. It was the price she paid. He'd say _no_, then he'd complain. Finally, he would agree and tell her how this was the very last time.

"I mean, I have my own business to run here, Gypsy. I'm in here from 6am until 10pm. That's sixteen hours. That leaves me with just enough time to go upstairs and go to bed so I can wake up and do it all over. I can't do your job, too. If I had to go out of town somewhere, and I didn't have anyone to keep this place going, I wouldn't just go around and find anybody who knows how to flip a pancake! You know what I'd do? I'd close the place! But since you are so dead set against doing that, and you're so paranoid over lost business, then I don't know why you won't just hire another hand. Somebody else with _mediocre _skill who can pick up your slack."

"Hey! There _is _no slack to pick up, Mr. Patty Melt. Out of everyone in this town, I have the less slack laying around. I am slackless. I don't even wear slacks," she barked in offense.

Luke rolled his eyes. "I meant someone who could cover for you when you have leave town."

"Well, you should have said that, then!" she exclaimed in indignation. Calming down, she continued. "And I don't _need _another hand. I do just fine by myself."

"Then what are you doing here?" he asked with a weak eye roll as he went back to cleaning the counter.

"Because I need your help for crying out loud!" She placed the key back on the countertop. "Now, here is the key to my toolchest. You have been anointed."

Luke set his jaw, unknowingly cluing Gypsy in to the fact that he'd entered the final stage. She smiled.

"I promise to be back by noon at the latest."

He scrubbed the counter harder with the rag, choosing not acknowledge her. She leaned in.

"I do appreciate you doing this, Luke," she said with sincerity. Her voice was low. Humility wasn't something she wanted to be known for.

"Yeah, yeah," he said under his breath. He picked the key up blindly and stuck it in his pocket. "Anything that comes in that can wait will be there for you when you get back. I'm not doing anything extra," he said gruffly.

"You better not. No one's asking you to take over the family business, Michael Corleone. I just need you to stay available. If Teddy calls you with an emergency repair, then you handle it."

Luke took a tired breath as he dropped his rag behind the counter. "I still don't understand why you're willing to hire someone to answer phones and do secretarial duties but you can't seem to get someone to get underneath a car."

"It's not for you to understand," she replied with a twist of her neck. "The name of my shop is Gypsy's Auto Repair, not Gypsy and _Helper_."

Luke snorted. Here she was asking him for a very big favor, and she didn't take care to leave behind one ounce of her everyday attitude before coming in.

Gypsy got a cup of coffee from him and turned to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow, Luke. And thank you," she said with a polite head tilt.

He nodded. "No problem," he replied mechanically. "And this _is _the last time," he added.

She smirked and walked to the door. "Remember, if you cause me to lose any money, you better hope I don't find out about it."

He narrowed his eyes at her, though she couldn't see. "Do I have to remind you that I'm _not and will never be _on your clock?"

She waved her hand over her head. "You're on it now. The phone is your friend. Stay by it!"

The bell rang and the door closed behind Gypsy.

Luke rolled his eyes. "I have _got _to find another town to live in," he mumbled.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

The re-enactors got in formation in front of Luke's diner. This, of course, wasn't something that Luke had agreed to, but he couldn't argue much with tradition. His dad had stood those very grounds with the same ridiculous uniform, complete with musket.

Luke watched them from inside. He had told them that what they were doing was nuts. He'd expressed to them how someone outside of the town-- someone not from the magical little world in which they lived-- might drive through, get the wrong impression, and have the entire town quarantined. The re-enactors had paid him no attention, as his negativism was always to be expected.

He shook his head as he watched their foolishness play out. They looked like toy soldiers. More toy than soldier.

Lorelai came into view, and his eyes went to her. She was walking through the street, and when she looked toward the diner, Luke tossed his head up in greeting. She smiled brightly and waved a glove-covered hand at him. He chuckled a little at her jollity. He could see the glow in her eyes from where he stood. The diner wasn't busy, so he decided to step outside and see what she was up to for the rest of the evening. She didn't appear to be headed anywhere in particular.

Lorelai slowed and started walking languidly toward the diner when she saw Luke about to come outside.

Just as he rounded the counter, the diner's phone rang. He held up a finger to Lorelai before he backed up quickly and answered.

Lorelai stopped on the sidewalk and crossed her arms. Snow started to fall harder, and she looked toward the sky. It seemed to be appearing from nowhere. Falling to the earth from darkness. All she could see was what the streetlight allowed her to see. Anything above that was a mystery.

She smiled. The flakes fell onto her cheeks, and she smiled wider. Winter, the coldest season of them all, always caused a warm glow inside of her.

The diner's bell jingled as the door opened and closed. Lorelai heard snow crunch beneath heavy boots.

Luke stopped beside Lorelai and looked at her raised head curiously before his eyes went to the sky too. "What are you looking at?" he asked, looking for something through the thick of the snow.

She dropped her head, keeping her smile in place. "The _snow_, Luke. It's so pretty," she said with adoration. "It's God's gift to me."

A corner of Luke's mouth turned up as he regarded her. He was fascinated by Lorelai. She had an ability to make his face turn redder than a beet with the inappropriate things she muttered. Then, there were moments like this when she showed such a genuine innocence. The face he looked at now had never been given the bad news about Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny. This was the face of someone who still looked for quarters in the place of teeth.

Luke cleared his throat, and his eyes went to the sky again briefly. "Yeah. If you could scoop your gift up and take it to your side of town, _I'd _be a lot more grateful."

She chuckled. "How could you not like the snow? It's perfect."

"It's a nuisance," he retorted. "What do you find so appealing about it?" He half expected her to goofily relay some fabricated tale that wouldn't tell him anything. It would only show that she truly did love it since she'd taken time to formulate a story. Instead of this, he got a real-life childhood memory. She had been sick one day, and after praying for something that would make her feel better, she had woken up to snow. It had really come as a gift to her. And at thirty-two years old, she still saw it as that.

Luke knew this to be ridiculous. Snow wasn't a _present_. It was frozen water vapor and very much a part of meteorology. But Lorelai was happy, and he saw no reason to disturb that happiness.

"I was gonna ask if you wanted to come in for some coffee, but it looks like I'm about to take off," he said pointing down the sidewalk. "You can still go in and heat up if you want. Caesar's in there."

She shook her head. "Snow trumps coffee." Luke's brows lifted in surprise. Lorelai smiled. "So, if it wasn't clear before how much I love this stuff--"

"--It's crystallized now," he finished, still with shock.

She laughed. "Where ya headed?"

He sighed and motioned with his head. They started walking together down the sidewalk. "Covering for Gypsy," he answered.

"Again?"

"Again," he replied plainly.

"Man. Why doesn't she just hire someone else?" she asked.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Don't get me started."

Lorelai smiled. "How long you covering for?"

"Just until tomorrow afternoon." He stuck his hands in his pockets. "I figured it'd be okay with the snow, ya know. Thought nobody would need anything right away. Turns out, I was wrong."

"Got a call?"

"Yep. Guy's car broke down, and _of course _he doesn't live here so he needs it fixed asap."

"Sorry," she said sympathetically.

He waved his hand. "It's okay. Got myself into this." He sighed with exhaustion. "Don't know _why_," he stated aloud. "But I got myself into it."

Lorelai studied the falling flakes in front of where they walked. "I know why," she said after a moment.

He looked at her. His statement wasn't one that required an answer. He'd simply meant that he had no desire to do what he had signed up to do. "Why?" he asked her.

She looked at him. "Because you're like a super hero."

Luke smiled amusedly at her off-the-wall comparison. And she'd sounded so serious. "A...super hero," he repeated monotonously.

"Yeah," she responded with a small shrug. "As soon as someone needs you, you're there. Even if you don't want to be, you're there to save the day." She looked at him and smiled as he rejected that analysis with a roll of his eyes. "Face it, Luke. You're Stars Hollow's super hero."

"Jeez."

"You're Thor."

"Why _Thor_?" he asked with a frown.

She looked at him in amusement. "You have a preference?"

"...No."

She hit his arm playfully. "Now tell me the truth. Have you thought about this, Luke?"

"This conversation is _so _about to be dropped."

She laughed. "Let's just leave it at Thor. Thor's really manly."

"With _blonde _hair," he grumbled. "_Long_, blonde hair."

"Still manly. He carries a hammer. You have a hammer!" she exclaimed suddenly, as if in remembrance.

"What's your point?"

"You guys both have a hammer. That's my point. _Hello_, twins!"

He shook his head defeatedly.

Lorelai snapped her fingers. "Thor's outfit is less fruity than the others, Luke. That has to sell you."

"Can we stop talking about Thor now?"

"He's insanely hot, too."

Luke's eyes went to her immediately, and she looked at him too. Unshaken. A small smile rested on her lips. She gasped playfully. "Oh no, did I just say that?" Her hands twisted in fashioned nervousness. "I-I didn't mean that. I meant _gorgeous_. Oops..no, no _handsome_. Oh gosh! I mean, um, um--"

"--Jeez."

"--sexy and swell. Oh god, kill me now!"

"Feel free to stop," he deadpanned.

She laughed. "Why did you look at me like that?" she asked casually as she brought her attention back to God's show.

Luke shook his head at her question. He could never understand how she felt so free to talk about any and everything.

"No reason," he answered. "Just didn't know you were so infatuated with an animated character."

She shrugged. "Cute is cute, animated or not," she defended. "And you looked at me that way because in a way, I was calling _you_..." She lightly bumped his shoulder with hers "...insanely hot."

Red crept across his cheeks as he looked away, toward the store fronts. "Hm, looks like _Weston's _is having a sale on ice cream cakes," he commented.

Lorelai looked around him at the sign, then up at him. "And you know what's interesting about that?"

He looked at her, grateful for the subject change. "What?" he asked.

She still smiled at him. "Nothing at all."

He rolled his eyes away. "Walked right into that one."

"You act so weird sometimes, you know that?"

"Why does that damn pot keep picking on the kettle?"

She smiled. "You act as if it's some huge shocker to hear that you're attractive. It's not a guarded secret, Luke. Stop acting so shy all the time."

He looked at her. "I'm not acting shy. It just kind of threw me when you said it. It's not a huge deal."

"So, was it just because _I _said it?" she asked. "Did you think that I thought you were a swamp monster?"

The redness had found a comfy home beneath his skin. "I didn't say you thought I was a _swamp monster_, Lorelai."

She nodded. "Because you're not," she said simply.

"Good to hear."

"Far from it."

"Even better."

She smiled. "Glad you think so." She moved close and looped her arm through his. "Now, tell me what you think of _me_."

He rolled his eyes. "I think you need to be medicated."

She hugged his arm tighter. "Not my inner self, silly! My outer self. Tell me how hot I am."

"For heaven's sake," he grumbled. His arm hung loose in her tight grip. It swayed lifelessly with her playful movements.

"Do you think I can sneak on a runway and fool the masses? Or pop up in Hefner's hot tub and fit in with the boobalicious girls around me?"

"Sometimes I wonder what it's like to be inside of your head."

"Oh my god! You have no idea how fun it is! It's the hottest head spot in town, Luke, I'm telling you."

"I'll take your word on that." He shook his head as Lorelai pressed her cheek onto his arm happily.

"Hey, I have an idea. You wanna ditch the garage and walk around town with me? See the snow-covered sights?"

He looked over into her bright blue eyes as her head lay against him. He smiled at the pouty look she wore that could easily beat out any five year old's. "I'm not walking around town just to look at buildings I see every day."

"But they'll be snow-covered," she argued.

"Not that that makes one bit of difference, but I still can't go. I promised Gypsy. And no matter how little she is, I am not above admitting that she scares me."

Her lip protruded further as she stood up from him and let him go. "Well, _you _suck."

"Yeah, I know," he appeased with a smile. He nudged her, and her lips spread in response. "Come on," he said pointing to the shop across the street. "You can keep me company for a while if you want to. You may even prevent me from falling asleep on the job."

Luke checked for traffic, then continued toward the garage. It took a few seconds to realize that Lorelai wasn't next to him anymore. He stopped and looked back to see her still standing on the side of the road. He turned and went back.

"What's wrong? Your legs stop working?" he asked.

She shook her head slowly, a smile coming across her face. "Max Medina."

He looked across the street to see what she was looking at so intently. "What the hell's a Medina?"

With a slow rising finger, she pointed to a man who had taken notice of her as well. Luke saw him and turned back to her with an unimpressed countenance. Her smile went wider as she still looked to the other side of the street. She patted Luke's arm blindly.

"Come on," she said. "Let's go work on a car."

He didn't move. But she didn't notice. She started across the street anyway. Luke waited for her to turn back, _glance _back, hell _pause _for a millisecond to see where he had gone. But she made it across the street without doing any of that.

Luke gritted his teeth and looked up at the falling flakes. "Snow-covered buildings sound really good right about now," he whispered before heading over.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Hey Teddy. How's it going?" Luke greeted as he made it to the shop.

"Pretty good. I'm just waiting for this night to end, you know what I'm saying?"

Luke's eyes went to Lorelai and Max who were talking several feet away. "Yeah, man. I know," he finally replied.

Teddy pointed to Max. "That's him over there. We pulled him in off the interstate. Looks to me like he may need some cable work." He patted the hood of the car. "Old girl stalled out on him."

Luke nodded and turned attention to Teddy. "So, who is he?" he asked casually.

Teddy looked at his paperwork. "Max Medina," he answered.

Luke nodded again. "What does he do?"

Teddy flipped through his paperwork, even though he knew he wouldn't find that information in there. Holding the clipboard against his side, he lifted his brows. "No idea." He looked over at him. "Looks like a suit, though. Probably a lawyer or something," he offered.

"Of course," Luke replied.

Teddy took a deep breath. "He's pretty p'd off. Wants to get out of here as quickly as possible."

Luke studied Lorelai and Max laughing jovially before he shook his head and turned back to Teddy. "Yeah, he looks _very _upset," he said sarcastically. Teddy chuckled and walked away.

Luke took a moment before he walked over to where they were. "Hey," he interrupted.

Lorelai turned her eyes on him. "Hey, Luke." She pointed. "This is Max Medina. Max, this is Luke Danes."

Max held out his hand. "Nice to meet you," he said cordially.

"Yeah, same here," Luke said politely as he shook his hand. His eyes went back and forth between Lorelai and Max as he worked on remaining pleasant. "So, you guys know each other?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah." She paused. "Through Rory. Max is...Rory's uh teacher."

Luke's eyes widened. "Oh!" He smiled genuinely. "You're Rory's _teacher_! That's how you guys know each oth--okay. I gotcha." He looked down, shaking away jealousy that he didn't exactly have a right to have in the first place. "_Nice _to meet you, man," he said as he shook his hand again. "Chilton is a good school. And you're _lucky _to have a student like Rory in there," he added.

Lorelai's eyes narrowed at him in amusement. She never knew he would be so jazzed to meet Rory's educator.

Max's arm shook wildly with Luke's enthusiastic hand shake. "Thanks. We are very lucky," he agreed when he finally got his hand back.

Luke's smile stayed in place, and he lifted his brows at Lorelai as his hands went to rest on his sides. "Okay!" he said to Max. "Your car," he began as a way to get on subject. "I'll get you out of here as soon as I can. Shouldn't be anymore than an hour tops if it's what I think it is, but let me just go take a look--it'll only be a second-- and I'll get back to y--"

"You know what?" Max's eyes went to Lorelai. "Take your time."

Luke looked from Max to Lorelai. "Whaddya mean?" he asked lightly.

Lorelai opened her mouth to speak when she saw Max looking at her for silent confirmation. They finally had a chance to have a date. The setting was right, Rory was in Hartford, and they had nothing but time. She spoke up.

"Uh, yeah...Luke. You d--don't have to rush. It's no big deal."

Luke's happiness started to dwindle as he continued to look between them. The glances they kept exchanging were making him uneasy. He was starting to get the impression that there was something he was missing.

"What do you mean it's no big deal?" He chuckled dryly and turned to Max. "You want to get out of here as soon as possible, right?"

Max shrugged and kept his shoulders high as his eyes went to Lorelai. "Well..."

Luke rolled his eyes. He'd have to be blind to not see that something else was going on. "Well _what_?" he asked in sudden aggravation.

Lorelai caught his tone, and she didn't want Max to take offense. He didn't know him well enough to take it in stride. She figured Luke was growing frustrated at his indecision. "Luke," she said calmingly.

Luke continued to look at Max. "No, I need him to tell me what to do with his car. Either he wants it fixed or he doesn't. It's not an SAT question."

Max sighed. "Yes, I want it fixed. No, you don't have to rush the repair. I can just hang around town for the night."

"For the _night_?" Luke asked in surprise. "That's a little ambitious, wouldn't you say?"

"Luke!" Lorelai exclaimed. He was getting a little too comfortable laying into a complete stranger. Even _she _didn't know Max well enough to know how he'd take such a pointed attack.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Look, I just need to know what you want me to do. Because I can always just go back to the diner."

"You don't work here?"

"Do I _look _like I work here?"

Max looked him up and down, and Luke set his jaw. His dark green jacket, fingerless gloves, blue jeans, and backward baseball cap got scanned only once. "Okay, from your tone, I can tell that the answer is _no_, so I won't bother answering the question," he stated kindly.

Luke's eyes went to Lorelai and stayed there as his jaw flexed. She could determine everything he wasn't saying. Just from his look. She begged him to not explode all over Max.

Max went on. "I would like for you to fix the car, though. Assuming you know what you're doing," he added with a smile. "But there is no rush. As long as it's fixed in a few hours or so, I'll be satisfied."

Luke turned cold eyes to him. "And where will you be?"

"What?"

"While I'm fixing your car, where are you gonna be?"

Max held his stare. "Around."

Lorelai smelled testosterone bubbling and brewing all throughout their tiny circle, and she thought it best to step in before the chest-pounding started. "Luke, I'm going to take Max to get something to eat. We're just going to hang out a little bit, so you don't have to rush is all he's saying."

Luke nodded. "Okay," he said a little too easily.

Lorelai smiled.

Max nodded in satisfaction at seeing an end to the conversation. He held his key out to him, and Luke took it. "I'll be back later," he said before turning.

Lorelai stayed looking at Luke, and she tried to get him to smile for her before she departed. His hard look remained, and suddenly his eyes went to the back of Max's head.

"Just so you know, if I have to speak with you about anything regarding the car, and you're not around to _speak with_, then I'm going home."

Max turned. "No problem. Let me give you my cell number," he said as he walked over.

"I'm not contacting you on a cell phone. I'm a businessman. And I don't do business that way."

"Luke," Lorelai said quietly with a head tilt. Luke glanced at her, and his eyes went back to Max.

"This isn't even _your business_!" Max exclaimed.

"But yet, I'm the one that's fixing your car, and whatever standards I have will apply while I'm here."

"This is ridiculous," grumbled Max.

"Guys, what do you say we--"

"Look, why don't you just _leave _the car. Leave it there, and don't touch it until tomorrow. I'll find a hotel for the night, then tomorrow I'll come back here, and sit here all day long so you can ask me any question that tickles your fancy."

"Tickles my _fancy_? Who the hell talks like that?"

"Max! Luke! I need you both to reach inside your big bag of _perspective _and pull just a little of it out. This conversation is inane!"

Luke went on. "And it can't get done tomorrow. I'm available tonight and tonight only. Either the car gets fixed tonight or it doesn't get fixed until Gypsy comes back."

Max nodded. "Okay, fine. When does Gypsy get back?"

Luke's eyes darted to Lorelai. "Tuesday," he answered.

"In four days?!" Max exclaimed in disbelief. "I can't wait four days to have this done!"

Lorelai's eyes narrowed. "I thought you said tomorrow?"

Luke sighed. "_No_. I said in _four _days. I said _Tuesday_."

Her eyes stayed on him, and she watched his wavering focus. She didn't think for one moment that she had heard him wrong. He had _said _tomorrow. She grew confused. It was one thing to have limited patience because he had to cover for Gypsy all night, but now it seemed that he had some sort of personal problem with Max, himself. She folded her arms and stared hard at Luke.

"So, what you're telling me is," Max began, "either I have to stay here and babysit my car while you fix it or I have to wait until _Tuesday _to have it serviced?"

Luke nodded resolutely. "That's what I'm saying."

He could feel Lorelai's eyes on him. He stayed looking at Max. His intention wasn't to lie, but if he had told the truth, then Max and Lorelai would have continued on their merry little way. That would result in Luke having to live through another one of her relationships. The lie had come at a moment's notice, so he had no time to consider its consequences. As he stood there, he began to realize how little this would all affect. Lorelai and Max would still be involved with one another. All this would do is make Lorelai look at him differently. More strangely. Like she was doing now.

He chanced a look at her. Her gaze was intentional, and she appeared to have no plans to look away anytime soon. Their eyes were locked for a moment. Max complained in the background.

Finally, Luke looked away. His eyes went to the ground. And he felt immediate shame.

Max continued on. "...And all because you don't want to dial a cell phone number! It doesn't make sense!"

"Hey."

"It's really not that difficult. It's picking up a phone, and dialing seven digits. But no, I suppose that's too great a task for you to handle."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I said, _hey_!"

Max's hands went to his hips. "What now? Some more rules you want to make up as you go? What, is it suddenly mandatory for me to jump up and down on one leg in order for you to begin work?"

"If you can listen for one second, then I can say what I need to say."

Max gave him his attention. "This should be good."

Luke glanced at Lorelai once again. "Gypsy..." he began with hesitation. He rolled his eyes. Lorelai's hard stare was making him feel like a seven year old with a heart of guilt. "...She isn't coming back on Tuesday," he spit out. "Sorry I told you that."

Max's brows furrowed. "So, when is she coming back?"

"She's coming back to--"

"Why don't you just get it over with tonight." Luke's attention went to Lorelai. She took a breath and looked at Max. "It's probably best that you get it taken care of right away." She shrugged. Spoke to Max as her eyes went back to Luke. "If Luke thinks it's best to stay here, then I'm sure he has a good reason." Max looked like he didn't know what to say. "I'll go get some food, and we can just eat it here."

Luke stared at her with his mouth open. He wondered if this was intended as some kind of punishment.

"Luke, I'm going to the diner. Do you want something?"

He frowned. "_Uh no thanks_," he replied jeeringly.

She nodded. "Okay." Her eyes went back to Max. "Max, what can I get you?"

Max looked at Luke with scorn. If he wasn't being so unnecessary, they would be able to eat in a place without exhaust fumes. "Just get me whatever you're eating," he replied.

"Are you sure that's smart? Surely you've seen her order before," Luke interjected.

Max rolled his eyes.

Lorelai returned focus to him. "No, he hasn't. We've never been out, actually."

Luke showed relief. Lorelai still watched him with a look he saw as critical. The way her eyes focused on him made his heart constrict, and he felt utterly ashamed of the lie that he had told. He swallowed. "Oh. Well...guess he'll learn then."

She nodded absently. "I'll be back in about ten minutes," she said before turning around and leaving.

Luke turned eyes to Max. "What do you say we pop the hood?" he asked.

Max waved his hand and went to an empty chair inside of the garage. "Do whatever you want to do."

Luke watched him take a seat before he went to the car for inspection. "If I did that, you'd have a boot print in your ass," he mumbled under his breath.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Max and Lorelai sat on a couple of fold-out chairs. Luke's tools clinked underneath the hood of Max's car.

Max's laughter echoed in the garage and fell to the cold, white, empty grounds outside. The sound of a wrench followed. Loud metal hit the concrete floor and caused a startled silence. Luke leaned around the hood and looked at the two of them.

"Sorry. Lost my grip," he said flatly.

Max nodded. A smile sat cozy on his face as he looked down into his warm cup of coffee. Luke figured he could drag nails across a chalkboard and it wouldn't disturb Max's nirvana. He was with Lorelai. Probably on what could be considered a date. Eating and laughing and possibly imagining what would happen between them if they _weren't _in the company of Luke and Teddy. Luke wanted to rip his nose off.

Just before going back to his task, he turned focus to Lorelai. Her eyes found his across the garage, and she lifted her brows.

His furrowed. She smiled tentatively and tilted her head as if asking him a question. Luke leaned his head a bit more around the car only to see Max's lips start moving. Lorelai's attention slowly went back to him. Luke rolled his eyes and moved back behind the hood.

Banging commenced. Banging that hardly seemed necessary.

"Hey Luke, take it easy, man," came Teddy's well-meant request.

Luke stood up straight and looked at him. He was frustrated, but he wasn't about to take it out on him.

"Yeah, I kind of still need the car after you're done," Max followed with that dumb smile still present. Now _him_, Luke had no problem showing frustration to.

"Do you want your car fixed or _not_? Like I said, I can always just go home. Don't tell me how to do my job."

He held up a hand in apology. Luke grumbled out a few R-rated words before he was leaning back behind the hood. Minutes passed, and he was fighting the urge to peek around the hood. He kept thinking that if he didn't keep an eye on Max and Lorelai, he would eventually look around and see them making out. And then, all _hell _would break loose.

After going back and forth with his irrational thoughts, he decided that another look was warranted. He moved his head a little to the left and was met with a body in his immediate vicinity. He jumped in surprise as it came closer.

"Jeez!" he exclaimed as he stood instantly. "You scared me half to death," he said as he looked back down at the engine.

Lorelai's eyes went to where his were. "Sorry 'bout that," she replied.

"It's okay," he said gruffly. He stood up and looked over the hood to where she'd been sitting. "Where'd the guy go?"

"The _guy_?"

He rolled his eyes. "_Yeah_, the one you've been talking to all night."

She smiled a little and folded her arms. "I know who you're talking about, Luke. I was just questioning...the way it was said. You know his name."

He shook his head. "Didn't mean to offend you, I guess."

She shrugged. "You didn't."

He sighed deeply. "Where's...Max?"

"Bathroom." She pointed. "He went to the diner. Hope you don't mind."

Damn right he _minded_. "It's for public use, so I suppose not." He diverted his gaze.

She nodded a little as she looked at him. "Good," she said quietly.

He leaned back over the car. "Yeah, _good_," he said, almost mocking her.

A few seconds passed. "Luke?"

He rolled his eyes as his head stayed under the hood. "Yeah."

She paused. "Max and I aren't...I mean we haven't..." She licked her lips thoughtfully as she watched him move around under the hood like he was too busy to even look at her. More seconds passed in silence. "You don't like him, do you?" she asked quietly. He continued to move around. Lorelai waited to catch a glimpse of his face, but he continued to move. "Is it because of me...that you don't like him?" She'd been picking up vibes all night. She had chosen to stay here...and go along with Luke's falsehood...to see what she could see.

She had seen a lot.

He didn't say anything, but Lorelai saw his body tense momentarily. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it back as she looked down to the floor. Turning slowly, she saw Teddy at his small desk writing furiously on a notepad. She turned back. Her eyes went to the open door of the shop, and she looked into the empty street for several moments.

The sound of tool against metal brought her attention back to where Luke worked.

"That's a nice wrench," she commented.

Luke paused, shook his head. "It's not mine," he replied curtly.

She nodded eagerly. He'd spoken. "I know," she said. "I know it's not. It's Gypsy's, right?"

He nodded a little, kept working.

She smiled. "Yeah." She moved closer to the car. "Yours isn't here. You didn't bring it."

He took a heavy breath and adjusted his position. "Well, it wouldn't make sense to since she has perfectly good tools here."

Lorelai looked around. "They are," she agreed. "They're good tools. Gets the job done," she added. She looked at the side of his face. "I know that you'd probably rather have...yours though, right?"

"Doesn't matter."

"It does," she refuted softly. "Because your tools are _your _tools." She paused. "You're comfortable using your own tools. They're familiar and nice...and probably a whole lot better. But they're not here. They've never been here. So you have to use these." She glanced down. "But if they were here, you'd use them. If they were here and...and ready and...willing to be used--if you _knew _they were here in the same place you are, you'd use them over these." Luke stopped and turned to her slowly. "Because they're your tools," she ended quietly with a shrug.

His brows knitted. "Lorelai...these tools are _fine_," he replied. "Really."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "For the love of God." Leave it to Luke to miss her point entirely.

He went back to work. "You're acting weird all of a sudden," he said casually.

She looked at him in shock. Finally, she scoffed and softened her voice. "And you've been acting weird all _night_." She lightly pulled on his jacket until he was standing.

He appeared offended. "No, I haven't been."

She reached in her pocket and pulled out one of the diner's napkins. "Yes, you have," she said calmly. "Come here," she whispered as she pulled him closer by his arm. She brought the napkin to his cheek and swiped gently at a black mark.

He stared into her face as she concentrated on the smudge. When it was gone, she balled the napkin in her palm and rubbed at his cheek with her thumb. "There," she said finally looking into his eyes. "All gone." After seconds had passed, she smiled at his intense gaze. "There it is," she said softly, her eyes transfixed.

"There what is?"

She only smiled more. "Hey, can I tell you a secret, Luke?" she asked leaning in slightly.

His eyes followed her movements, and he swallowed when she neared him for that brief second. "Sure," he answered thickly.

She bit her lip, and Luke almost fell out flat when she glanced at his mouth. "If...uh _Thor_...ever wanted me...he really wouldn't have to work very hard to get me."

Again, he swallowed. "Is that right?" he asked distractedly.

She shrugged a shoulder. "It's Thor. 'Nough said."

"What about...?" He gestured toward where Max had gone.

She chuckled a little, her eyes fluttering. "Replacement wrench, Luke. Thought about using it one day, but now I don't see much reason to."

Delight rained across his face even before his smile appeared. "This Thor...is a lucky guy," he responded in a soft tone. He scanned Lorelai's face for a sign, and her eyes went to his lips and stayed there. Each took a step forward.

"It's really coming down out there," Max exclaimed as he came into the covered shop. Luke and Lorelai backed up and looked instantly to him. He was brushing snow from his hair and coat. Finally, he looked up, smiling. "Is it too soon for me to start asking if you missed me when I come back after leaving for a short while?" he asked jokingly.

Lorelai looked at him, then back at Luke. They looked wide-eyed at each other. "Uh, hang tight," she whispered quickly before she was walking around the car. "Hey Max?"

"Hey _Lorelai_...?" he asked growing confused by her tone.

She pointed outside when she was next to him. "Mind if I talk to you for a sec?"

Max's eyes went to Luke in question before he was redirecting focus back to Lorelai. "Sure, no problem," he said as he turned and walked past her.

Lorelai smiled at Max until he had passed her, then she looked to Luke desperately. _'Do you want to do this for me?'_ she mouthed in plead.

He chuckled and shook his head. _'You can handle it' _he mouthed back. She clenched her fists then turned and walked out like nothing was wrong.

Luke smiled and dipped back under the hood. He now had no reason to keep Max waiting.

In twenty minutes, he'd be back on the highway.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai opened the door to her house and walked inside. Luke stepped in behind her.

He looked around and smiled. Lorelai deposited her coat and purse by the door quickly. "I know you're happy that you don't have to be at your parent's hou--" he began but was cut off. Lorelai had turned and immediately walked her body into his, pushing him against the front door as her mouth pressed onto his.

Luke was caught off guard, but he brought his hands around her body and opened his mouth to her. He had always thought that when they finally kissed--_if _they ever kissed--he would be the one to initiate it. Definitely. Lorelai was currently showing him how wrong he had been.

She moaned into their kiss.

Luke pulled away to allow them oxygen. Her hands went to the buttons of his coat where she began undoing them. She leaned in with a kiss to his jaw. "Let me know if I'm moving too fast, okay?" she whispered as she looked into his dark eyes. He breathed heavily, watching her hands work down his coat. She got it loose and pushed it off of his shoulders.

He shook his head. "No problems so far," he replied. He shrugged out of the obstructing garment with urgency and brought his hands gently to her face. Their lips came together again, and they battled oxygen with admirability. When they could no longer keep it out, they broke away. Luke kissed her chin, and Lorelai's hand went to his hat where she took it off and threw it behind her somewhere. It hit the ceiling and landed across the floor. His hands dropped to her waist. She held his head as his lips went to her cheek, his tongue to her jaw, his teeth to her lobe. And all parts came together at the hollow of her neck.

"Good--good kisser--great kisser--fantasticallygreatgood kisser," she whispered with closed lids. Her hand went flat against the door, and she pushed away taking Luke with her. His face was buried in her neck, and her faculities were not all present and accounted for as she allowed the feeling of this to encompass her. They bumped everything, looking for something solid that could take the weight.

They brought their lips together again. Lorelai tried to start on Luke's flannel buttons, but his hand wrapped around her fully and he pulled her tightly against him. Her leg locked at his waist, and she felt him on her hip.

"Y-you sure we're not moving too fast?" she asked as she grinded into him.

Luke was trying to remove her skirt while being unwilling to let her go. It wasn't an easy task, to say the least. "Not fast. Definitely not fast," he answered breathily.

She nodded. "Good." She dropped her leg and detached herself some. "Because this is about to get kicked majorly into overdrive." Her fingers went to his buckle, and she unfastened it like she was in a time race. Luke undid her blouse, and Lorelai's hand moved up and down his crotch area as she massaged his hard-on. Luke kicked off his boots, almost tripping over them as they moved toward the staircase. Lorelai moved her hand to her skirt, and she all but ripped it off of her body while Luke tried to remove his pants as gracefully as possible. She laughed as he did a clumsy duck walk before he was able to kick his jeans from his ankles.

They both ridded themselves of their undergarments and took only a second to scope each other out before they were pressing their naked bodies together.

Lorelai smiled against his lips. "This is so much better," she said. She had a fast heartbeat set directly against his.

"I'll say," he responded as his hand slid the length of her silky smooth back.

They held one another gently now, as patience had somehow come with this skin-on-skin. They moved up the staircase. Deep and seriously intense kisses kept them from making it there in good time.

Lorelai laid down slowly on the mattress, and she watched as Luke secured a Trojan. She said nothing. She just watched this part of his body which she had never before acknowledged. His personal assets were quite impressive. She was sure that if Luke had not broken her of this focus, she would have been sitting there unblinking well into the following day.

He lowered himself onto her and kissed her lips. "You okay?" he whispered, questioning her silent stare before.

She smiled, delighted that he would take a moment to confirm. "Yeah," she answered. She gripped his back and moaned a little at his fingers on her clit. "Just taking it all in," she ended on a heavy breath.

He nodded and took his kisses to her neck. Below, his hand continued to move. He stimulated the outer before he was heading inside. Two fingers slid into her wetness. She was tight even around his fingers, and he felt himself harden even further.

His mouth moved to her breasts while he kept his hand movement steady. She whimpered and started to move her body into his hand more. He could feel her opening up, wanting more, and he slid those fingers deep before extracting them.

Their lips met in a heated kiss. It had been too long for them both, and this was about to more than make up for it. Lorelai guided him to her, and he pushed inside little by little. She wrapped her limbs around him, and he got lost in her warm surroundings.

Her body screamed its enjoyment of this new feeling. Luke went out and came back in deeper each time. This, in-turn, made her slip deeper into ecstasy. Her insides clung to him tightly. If he wanted to pull out completely, he would have one hell of a defense on his hands.

Lorelai's body writhed beneath his, and he slid his hand under her bottom and pulled her higher and tighter against him. He blindly reached for a pillow and took a moment to position it under her lower back. She settled herself and accepted Luke's tongue as he brought his hands to the mattress and moved his pelvis windingly. Moving inward, every inch of his length was put to use. Lorelai's teeth came together and she jaggedly let him know how much she appreciated his deeper travels. Especially at that angle.

Luke's speed increased, then decreased. Lorelai could feel herself peaking. With the soft repetition of _"oh god, oh god, oh god", _both her hands went flat against the headboard above her. Her body rocked with his. His lips went around her nipple, and he bit it gently as her sweet song made his body respond in a way that she found even more pleasurable.

Her hands stayed high as if she was about to take lift. With her hands laying lightly against it, the headboard hit the wall with a gentle knock.

"Luke...Luke...I'm close. I'm _so _close," she said with bare audibility. He rolled his hips into her with intent, responding to the soft, sexy timbre of her voice. "_Don't stop_," she whispered with light pants. "_Don't stop_. _Please_."

There was no chance of that happening.

With a deep thrust, Luke sent Lorelai flying high into the clouds. She brought her hands to his back and squeezed her eyes shut. Her mouth opened in a silent scream. Luke grunted into her neck as he followed her in release several moments later.

He continued to push into her gently until they came down.

They moved their heads at the same time and found one another's lips in a searing kiss. Pulling away breathlessly, Luke disengaged and moved off of her body. He turned to look at her, and a smile sat on her lips. She met his eyes.

"I think this officially ruins our platonic friendship," she said.

He smiled, shrugged. "It's okay. I never cared too much about it anyway," he teased.

"That's a relief."

Luke lifted his arm, and Lorelai moved into him. She kissed his chest and sighed peaceably as she closed her eyes.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

The following morning, Lorelai woke up and found that it was well into daylight hours. Her head lay at an angle on Luke's back as he slept on his stomach. She sat up slowly and groaned a bit at the stiffness in her neck. Turning back to him, she smiled a little and placed her hand on his back.

"Luke," she called weakly. She pushed lightly at his motionless body. "Luke, get up," she said again, too tired to put meaning into it.

The sound of a car engine caused her eyes to race to the window.

"Oh no, oh no," she muttered over and over as she climbed off the bed and hurried over to confirm what she already knew was true. "Rory," she whispered as she saw her step from the back of a chauffeur driven car in her school uniform. She glanced at Luke before walking to her closet to find something to throw on. "Fine, just lay there and let me deal with this by myself," she mumbled to his sleeping form as she dressed mindlessly in a tank top, jeans, and a backwards housecoat.

She rushed out of her bedroom and to the top of the stairs where she saw her and Luke's clothes strewn everywhere downstairs. Magazines had been knocked to the floor, and the table near the couch was inches away from where it usually sat.

"Damn," she whispered as she descended the stairs fast. She made it down and picked up Luke's flannel, her underwear and Luke's boxers before the front door was opening. She tossed the clothes over her head and ran over.

Rory came inside and stumbled back to the door in surprise at the dark-haired blur rushing toward her. Lorelai's speed made her have to extend a hand to the wall to stop. She stood inches away from Rory, who was looking at her wide-eyed.

"Hey Kid!" she exclaimed.

Rory paused, still pressed into the door. "Mom," she responded dully.

Lorelai's brows lifted as she smiled wide. "How was your night at the grandparents'?"

"Fine..." she replied in near question.

Lorelai moved from side to side nervously. "Good, good." Her foot hit fabric and she looked down. It was Luke's coat. A brief pause in her movement caused Rory to lower her eyes as well. Lorelai jumped and grabbed her shoulders before she could see anything.

She played it off and hugged her happily. "Oh, Rory, I missed you so much!" That much was true.

Rory's arms hung by her side and her confusion grew. "Mom, you're really starting to scare me here," she said over her shoulder. "What's with you?"

Lorelai kicked Luke's coat with her foot and pulled away. "Nothing," she said. "Just missed my blue-eyed angel." She stroked her hair.

Rory shook her head. "Well, I missed you too. Thanks for the welcome." She turned to walk away and ran over Luke's coat before Lorelai could stop her. Rory glanced down and kept walking, not paying it any mind. "I leave for one night, and you forget how to pick up after yourself? I thought I taught you better than that, Mom," she playfully scolded.

Lorelai closed her eyes and held her breath as Rory walked out of the foyer into the living room.

There was the click-clacking of her shoes. Then, suddenly there was not. And just like that, Lorelai knew that the wishing she had done had not worked. A little magical elf had not come to sweep the area clean in the five seconds that she'd been hoping. She opened her eyes slowly and looked toward Rory who had turned back to her and was staring.

Lorelai walked over. "Rory," she began apologetically, "I really didn't plan on you coming in and seeing all--"

"That looks like Luke's flannel," she said with a hand extended to her left.

Lorelai's eyes went there. "Oh, look at that," she said quietly. She looked at Rory with a smile, but Rory's face showed no expression. Her eyes fell and took in the whole huge mess that was their living room. It looked like someone being chased had run through blindfolded. Not to mention the clothes all over the-- "Are those underwear?"

Lorelai's hand went to her forehead and she ran a jittery hand through her hair as she hurried over and started collecting things. She kept glancing at an uneasy Rory. She tossed the clothes near the stairs and moved to the table where she picked up scattered magazines.

"Rory, babe, you have no idea how sorry I am about all of this. I've always kept all this stuff separate from you. And for you to come home and see..." She bent down and picked up Luke's belt. She folded it with shaky hands as she looked at a still rooted, way too quiet Rory. "...I never wanted this to happen. This is our house. Yours and mine. And you should never feel uncomfortable...thinking that guys are just gonna come through..." Her voice faded, and she stared, feeling horrible. She hated to think of how Rory felt at that moment.

The exact same pair of eyes met hers from across the room. Finally Rory broke contact. She walked to the sofa and pushed it back in its original place. She moved a strand of hair from her face and dropped her backpack to the couch. "What didn't you want to happen?" she asked.

Lorelai took a step toward her attentively. "What?"

She sighed. "You said that you never wanted this to happen." She looked around. "What exactly didn't you want to happen?"

Lorelai thought back quickly. She hadn't even remembered saying that. "I meant _this_," she answered. "You coming home to this. If there was a list of things I would never want you to witness, this would be high up," she lamented.

"Because you didn't want me to see it, right? All of this stuff?" Rory clarified.

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah."

"But _this_," she stressed pointing to their surroundings, "_This _that took place...all throughout here...and over there...and right _there_..." She pointed at the staircase, "going up there and probably _a whole lot_...up there," she ended with a finger going to her mom's bedroom; she sighed and crossed her arms, "...all of that, you don't regret. Right?"

Lorelai lowered her eyes in embarrassment. She would much rather have this conversation without her and Luke's underwear laying two feet away. She shook her head shamefully, feeling as if she was naked in an auditorium full of people. Her answer was nothing but honest. "No, Honey...I don't regret that."

Rory looked at her mother piercingly for several seconds before she was looking away. "Good," she said simply.

Lorelai's eyebrows went high. "G-good?"

Rory shrugged. "Yeah. Good."

Her eyes shifted. "Good...as in _good_?"

Rory smiled slowly. "Good as in good, Mom." She watched her entire face brighten, and it made her smile more. "Luke's a great guy. He deserves to be happy. You will make him happy."

"You...care about Luke's happiness," Lorelai said in awe.

Rory's eyes rolled. "Of course I do. I care about yours too. And if you two can keep each other happy then maybe I can focus more on myself. I've been meaning to give the whole self-centered thing a go anyway." Lorelai hurried over to Rory and embraced her tightly.

"Ah, _Kid_. You have no idea how much I love you right now."

Rory smiled as her head rested on her mom's shoulder. "Mom?"

"Yeah, baby," she answered overwhelmed by how great a daughter she'd been blessed with.

"I want you guys to be happy; I really do..."

"Hm-mm."

"But if you can refrain from being happy..._here _in communal areas..." Lorelai laughed and pulled away; Rory's face reddened, "..I'd really appreciate it," she ended.

Lorelai wiped tears that had been threatening to fall. "We weren't expressing happiness here," she defended calmly. "This is just...where the happy train departed from," she ended with a grin.

"And if you could also refrain from ever saying anything like that to me again, I'd appreciate that too," Rory added. She picked up her bag and headed toward her room after she pulled the table back in place. Lorelai followed her, thrilled beyond measure that she was okay with the idea of Luke and her.

"You sure you don't want to know any juicy details? I have some sock puppets upstairs. I can just use them to kind of demonstrate--"

"Stop talking. Please stop talking."

Lorelai laughed. "Yeah, that's probably best. If I showed you the puppets now, how would I entertain the family next Friday night? Best to save it till then."

"Two birds with one stone, huh? Not only will you scar me, but you'll put Grandma in the back of an ambulance."

Lorelai clasped her hands and peered out the window of the kitchen. "Oh man, snow really does make wonderful things happen!"

Rory rolled her eyes. "Evil, evil woman," she said before going in her room and closing the door.

Lorelai leaned toward it, a smile on her lips. "I'm really happy right now, Rory!" she expressed openly.

"I can tell, Mom," Rory yelled back.

Lorelai smiled wider. "Hey, babe, Luke is still upstairs, and since you don't seem to mind that he's here, maybe I can wake him up and--"

"Mom!"

She rolled her eyes. "--_and _get him to make the Gilmore girls some breakfast," she ended.

There was a pause. "Oh," Rory said after a moment. Lorelai laughed. "Well, yeah, definitely do that," she said, the idea sounding better by the second. She opened the door back, now dressed in a T-shirt and jeans. She smiled at her mom. "This whole Luke thing is gonna be better than I thought!"

Lorelai wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and they headed into the living room. "That's music to my ears, Rory."

**-The End-**

I hope you all enjoyed that. Thoughts? Please share!!


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